By Chris Scott Barr

Just when you thought that everyone had ran out of jokes about the iPad’s name, another one surfaces. This time the joke is a case for the device, dubbed the iMaxi. You’d never guess what it looks like.  The Etsy seller’s description sums things up best:

Plus, the iMaxi’s Velcro-latched, advanced wing design wraps snugly around your device, so your iPad always stays where it should. Best of all, it shields it from all those unsightly and embarrassing data leaks that would make any motherboard worry.

Oh iPad humor, you will never cease to make me laugh. You can pre-order one for $30 through the end of the month, but they’ll go up by $10 after that. Did I mention that they’ll make the interior red if you ask nicely? Yeah, that’s just wrong.

[ Etsy ] VIA [ GeekSugar ]

By Evan Ackerman

Computers spend a lot of time thinking that they’re smarter than us. Like, with USB: your computer figures that it’ll just start firing up all of its software and whatnot whenever you plug something in, like your iPod or iPhone. Well, you know what? Sometimes we don’t want to sync our data. Sometimes we don’t want to automatically fire up iTunes and spend 10 minutes backing up our iPhones when we just needed a little bit of a charge, and God forbid the iPhone gets plugged into a different computer that tries to delete all of the music that’s on it…

You know what? NO.

Hence, this USB cable with a little switch that lets you decide whether you want a data connection, or just a power connection. The iPod/iPhone version is $13, and there are other USB adapters for $10 each. Yes, it’s more expensive than a cable without the switch, but if you don’t get one, you’re basically just admitting that your computer is smarter than you, and then the machines win. I mean, you don’t hate humanity, do you? Do you?

[ USB Fever ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

Somewhat old news here, but you should know that Apple has removed all restrictions that prohibited making Video VoIP calls on 3G networks using the iPhone. The iPhone SDK has also been modified in order to give developers access to the Video VoIP APIs. This means you can use either iCall or Fring (which supports Skype) to make Video VoIP calls on your device and the only catch is that your carrier must allow VoIP calls to work on 3G in addition to WiFi (good luck). While stability of video is an issue with both these apps, it’s still a welcome move by Apple.

Video calls are fun, make sure you try it out on your iPhone!

VIA [ Daemon News ]

By Evan Ackerman

In a totally obvious move that has only taken years to implement (thanks Apple!), ZoomMediaPlus has released an SD card adapter for the docking port on iPhones and iPod Touches that allows you to transfer content between an SD card and the device. This is a useful accessory for a whole bunch of reasons… Carry it along with your digital camera to be able to view and upload pictures on the fly, for example. Or stuff a bunch of movies onto a big SD card for traveling. Using the zoomIt app, you can transfer files in both directions, which gives you the option of bypassing iTunes’ ludicrously draconian file sharing restrictions.

Personally, I hate iTunes. It’s slow, it’s bloated, and it makes it exceptionally difficult to do even the most basic things. I’d love to use the zoomIt’s accessory to be able to transfer, say, a couple songs onto my iPhone without having to suffer through iTunes. So obviously, the big outstanding is going to be file compatibility. The zoomIt website says that you can “view, listen to, and share all of your photos, music, video and files” which also includes PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and PDF files. If this works as advertised, I’d be more than willing to pay $50 (with a $10 pre-order discount) not to have to rely on iTunes ever again. Available in April.

[ zoomIt ] VIA [ iLounge ]

The feedback regarding Apple’s recently unveiled iPad has been mixed at best, falling anywhere between cautiously positive to vehemently negative, so it’s no surprise that The Onion felt obliged to weigh in with their own thoughts, outlining some of the iPad’s lesser known features.

[ The Onion - Apple Finally Unveils iPad ]

I’m hesitant to post this since the spy shot above was submitted by an anonymous tipster, but it’s too exciting a rumor to pass up. Supposedly the team at Apple responsible for the new iPad has also been working on a compact version of their new tablet that’s not only pocket-friendly, but also adds a digital camera and phone capabilities! It will supposedly work with all of the existing software available in the iTunes App Store, and while it looks like it will lose the ability to add your own wallpaper, our tipster claims it’s pretty much capable of doing everything the new iPad can, and maybe even more!

Now on one hand it’s kind of crazy for Apple to release a new product that’s essentially the exact same thing as one of their existing products, only smaller, but imagine being able to surf the web, check email, watch videos, read ebooks and even play games on a device that’s just a fraction of the size of the iPad! Not surprisingly our tipster had no idea when Apple was planning to release the new device, but since it would probably cut into the iPad’s sales (who wants to carry around a 10-inch device when they can carry this thing?) I can’t see it being revealed anytime soon. But we’ll keep you posted if and when more information becomes available.

The red carpet has been rolled out for the most important launch of year 2010 – the Apple Tablet. In a recent statement, Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs has said “[The Apple Tablet] will be the most important thing I’ve ever done”. Coming from the man behind the iPhone and the iPod, this is a strong message and perhaps a sign of Apple’s heavyweight expectations for its due-to-be-launched-soon Apple Tablet or iSlate (as Internet rumors name it). 

Apple has closely guarded the tablet’s specs and it’s well worth doing that for a product which is slated to be a game changer!

[ Apple ] VIA [ TechCrunch ]

By David Ponce

The word on the street (meaning Peter Kafka from AllThingsD) is that Apple has been going around TV networks over the last few weeks pitching a $30/month subscription service that would make it possible to watch TV through iTunes. It’s not clear exactly how this would work. For instance, we don’t know whether this would make live programs available live or as a later download, nor whether you’d have access to the same kind of programming that you get currently from cable companies. This of course would depend on how many networks jump on board, a selling task left up to iTunes boss Eddy Cue. Rumor has it

“that if anyone jumps first, it will be Disney (DIS), since CEO Bob Iger has shown a willingness to experiment with Apple and iTunes in the past: In 2005, Disney was the first player to sell its programming on iTunes, via a-la-carte downloads. And Apple CEO Steve Jobs is Disney’s largest single shareholder, a result of Disney’s 2006 acquisition of Jobs’s Pixar animation studio. Apple didn’t respond to requests for comment.”

Whatever happens, Apple’s in a hurry as they’d like to launch this early 2010.

The question is, would you pay $30 for a service like this? Would you ditch your cable company? Everything is moving to the web as it is, so this seems like a natural and perhaps inevitable evolution for broadcast… but is it too ambitious, too soon?

[ AllThingsD ] VIA [ Dvice ]

By Chris Scott Barr

If you’ve ever purchased something at an Apple store, you’ve probably noticed those handy little devices they use to ring you up. If you’re using plastic, they just scan your purchase, swipe your card and send you on your way without stepping behind a register. If you’re observant, you’ll also notice that the handheld device is a Windows-based PDA. How embarrassing. At least they are taking steps to eliminate these handhelds from their stores.

Apple has decided to start rolling out a new system which has similar functionality, but instead is built around the iPod Touch. They will simply be hooking up a barcode scanner and credit card reader to iPods running their special POS software. They’ve started rolling this out at one of their stores in California, and should have them at all of their stores for the holiday season.

VIA [ AppleInsider ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Technology is both a wonderful and frustrating thing. On one hand, it is always evolving and bringing us new features in a better, smaller package. Unfortunately as the new comes out, the old becomes obsolete. The easiest example of this would be movies. When the DVD came out it had far superior quality to the older VHS. Now it’s difficult to even find a VCR to play those old tapes. Thankfully Blu-ray players are backwards-compatible, but what about the next leap in technology? Well Disney and Apple think they have a solution.

Eventually we are going to get to a point where media is almost completely distributed digitally. Music is slowly getting there, and movies will begin catching up. But when you start distributing movies digitally, there becomes an issue of licensing and DRM. Apple and Disney have teamed up to create “Keychest.”

Essentially Keychest is a distributed content ownership model that would allow you to play content that you download on a variety of devices without any fuss. Essentially you could download a movie on your PC and be able to play it on your phone, game console, portable media player, etc. You would be able to do this without having to worry about ripping the DVD, you could simply activate a key that comes with your movie.

Yes, this is DRM. However, it sounds like the right kind of DRM (if there really is such a thing). As long as they aren’t going to tie you down to very specific hardware, it could turn out alright. It will be interesting to watch this develop, but I’m still wary of any sort of DRM.

[ WSJ ] VIA [ Dvice ]